I spent the better part of Saturday hauling bricks up from the backyard, stacking them, and backfilling with pea gravel.
So the wall is mostly done. Except… I still need to make the back corner look nice, which will likely involve renting a masonry saw from Home Depot to custom cut some blocks to fit. We’re also thinking of topping the wall with a course of capstones.
Hey! All you need is a 4″ grinder with a diamond blade and you can cut block all day long. Just a bit dusty is all so outside is a must. Simply score the block where you want it cut then “tap, tap” with a hammer. The grinder comes in handy for a ton of other stuff too. There not expensive either and what an excuse to buy another tool. It will save you in the long run, promise! Especially when you don’t have to run back to Home Depot because you forgot to have that another block cut or the one you thought was going to be perfect didn’t exactly turn out that way.
So, I bought a 7″ diamond blade for my Skilsaw for that purpose, and it worked great for two cuts, then it trashed the motor, from concrete dust in the bearings. (Not the nice DeWalt you got me for Christmas, but my old corded one!) I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk buying a new one, or a grinder. Do you think a better model of circular saw or a grinder would do better with the dust? What brand do you like?
Beautiful!
I’ve always used a 4″ grinder. And you certainly don’t have to buy brand name for that particular tool, there’s ton’s of cheap alternative out there. The 4″ diamond blades, although they won’t last as long as a 7″ circular blade, are much cheaper and you’ll be surprised how much they will cut. You will be somewhat limited by depth of cut but I’ve cut some big block with what a 4″ grinder can do. I’ve got some “grinder” I bought from Harbor Freight, I think, for like $30 and it still runs like a champ. Sorry about your saw! I tend to blow the motors clean occasionally to keep the brushes from overheating. You’ll need a compressor for that, hey, another tool! I’m sure you see where this can go. Oh, and if you haven’t got them yet, good eye protection and a set of hearing protection are a must.